Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a 13803 foot (4200 meter) dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. A number of observatories are located on or near its summit. The atmosphere is very dry, unpolluted and cloud cover is generally below the summit. It is also distant from cities. The University of Hawaii built Mauna Kea's the first modern observatory with a 2.2 meter telescope in 1970. The land devoted to observatories is currently managed by the University of Hawaii as the Mauna Kea Observatories. Some current observatories:

• Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) - 3.58-meter visible/infrared.
• Gemini North (Gemini Observatory) - 8.1-meter visible/infrared.
• IRTF - 3.0-meter infrared.
• James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) - 15-meter submillimeter.
• Subaru Telescope - 8.2-meter visible/infrared.
• Submillimeter Array (SMA) - array of 6-meter radio telescopes.
• United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) - 3.8-meter infrared.
• UH88 - 2.2-meter visible/infrared.
• UH Hilo Hoku Ke'a - 0.9-meter visible.
• VLBA MK (VLBA) - 25-meter radio.
• Keck Observatory - 2 10-meter visible/infrared.

Former:

• Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) - 10.4-meter submillimeter.

Planned:

• Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

There is concern that the mountain is overrun by telescopes, and the current plan is to decommission some: CSO was decommissioned, with removal plans in progress, and Hoku Ke'a and UKIRT are slated for future removal.

Note that another Hawaiian mountain, Mauna Loa, also has numerous observatories and telescopes, including the Yuan-Tseh Lee Array and the High Altitude Observatory. The word Mauna means mountain.